How to Add Depth with Stippling On Your Dungeon Maps
Stippling is a powerful and yet simple technique you can use to give your dungeon maps a lot of depth. If you enjoy the classic pen & ink look, then this technique is for you. In this guest tutorial, Fred (Whiskey_n_Ink) will walk you through how you can use stippling to add dimension to your dungeon maps!
1: Sketch Rooms
Draw some basic shapes in pencil to get an idea of the overall layout of your dungeon or room. Don’t worry if your shapes aren’t perfect at this point, just be sure to sketch lightly!
2: Build Your Walls
Create your walls by drawing rough stone blocks in ink over your sketch. Be sure to vary the size and shape of your blocks to create visual interest.
Notice that the stones are fairly even on the inside walls of the dungeon, but they vary greatly on the outside.
3: Add Shadows
Pick a light source and use individual dots (stippling) to gradually add shadow to one of the blocks on your dungeon. Try and keep the dot spacing random, and on each pass make them fewer and further apart.
By keeping your stippling darker at the edges, it gives the illusion that the block has a rough and rounded texture.
4: Now Just Repeat!
Take what you just did for the first block and apply it to the rest of your room. Remember your light source throughout the map to keep the shading consisten.
You’re basically finished! But, perhaps we can do something more…
6: Add Some Flavor!
Add some finishing touches like floor tiles to help bring your dungeon to life. Painting some highlights and a drop shadow can create a sense of depth and dimension. Just remember the direction of your light source and you’ll be just fine!
Meet the Cartographer
My name is Fred Kroner (Whiskey_n_Ink) and I live in Wisconsin with my wife, kids, and our 3 crazy cats. My kids are all older now, but I feel blessed that they still love playing tabletop roleplaying games with me, even when their generation has so many other distractions.
I’ve been playing RPGs since the late 70s, and I have always loved to take on the role of Game Master. To me, drawing the maps and writing the stories behind the maps, was always the best part of the game by far.
